# US 4,399,996 A · Practice bat

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- Number: US 4,399,996 A
- Document ID: US4399996A
- Status: Granted
- Kind: A
- Application number: 06/195,329
- Filed: 1980-10-09
- Granted: 1983-08-23
- Earliest claimed: 1978-10-10
- Inventors: Gary C. Boyce
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US4399996A

## CPC

- A63B 69/0002: {for baseball}
- A63B: APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT (apparatus for passive exercising, massage A61H)

## Abstract

A baseball practice bat for training baseball players in the art of batting. The practice bat has a head portion and a separate handle portion. These are articulated axially. The head portion is positioned to be gripped by one hand and the lower handle grip portion positioned to accommodate the other hand of a batter on respective sides of the articulating joint. The articulating joint is a spring means secured on one side to the head portion and on the other side to the handle portion so that at rest the handle portion is an axial extension of the head portion. A bumper is provided between the head portion and the handle portion in prevention of "pinching". When the practice bat of the present invention is swung, the lower hand on the grip portion tends to "post" and the upper hand on the head portion moves through in controlled fashion by the spring.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A practice bat for establishing a swing coordination as between hands in a two-handed baseball swing movement comprising:
a head portion having a substantially uniform diameter and elongate shape at one end of said bat;
a handle portion having a substantially uniform diameter at the other end of said bat and extending a predetermined distance along said bat;
a tapered portion of said bat extending from said head to said handle portion; and
a resilient means separating said handle into two separate grip portions and normally biasing said grip portions to coaxial alignment with said head and said tapered portions.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

A practice bat in accord with the claim 1 wherein said resilient means comprises a resilient element axially extending from said head portion and from said grip portion and securely connected to each.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

In the practice bat of claim 2 in which said resilient element is an energy storing spring means.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

In the practice bat of claim 3 in which said spring means is a coil spring potted in situ in said head and said grip portions and including a plurality of transverse pins through said grip portion and said head securing said spring against torsional removal therefrom.

### Claim 5

A practice bat for establishing a swing coordination as between hands in a two-handed swing movement comprising:
an elongate head having an axial opening in one end;
a grip element having a generally cylindrical configuration and having an axial opening in one end thereof;
a spring axially into the openings in said head and said grip;
a plurality of pins through said head and said grip and passing transversely through said spring in said axial openings;
a potted plastic matrix filling said openings and imbedding said spring and said pins;
said spring forming a resilient gap between said head portion and said grip portion and separating said grip portion into a pair of grips, an upper and lower grip; and
bumpers around said grip and head portions adjacent said gap.

### Claim 6

A method for manufacture of a training bat having an universal articulated flexible joint between adjacent hand grip areas, one on the grip side and one on the head side of the bat including the steps of:
cutting a conventional bat across its principal axis to form a separate lower grip portion and an upper head portion;
forming an axial opening in the grip portion and in the head portion at the ends adjacent the cut;
inserting a spring element into the openings formed in the upper head portion and the lower grip portion with said spring bridging a gap between said grip portion and said head portion;
transversely applying fastener elements which run through the axis of said head and grip portions and through the spring and axial openings while retaining said spring, said grip and said head in axial alignment substantially filling said openings and imbedding said spring and said fasteners with a potting compound of resin and hardener and curing said resin in situ; and
applying an annular bumper over said grip and said head at the ends of said grip and head from which said spring extends.